Going Back to Colorado

The second and last Zephyr LP to feature wunderkind guitarist Tommy Bolin, Going Back to Colorado is a '70s rock sleeper, popular only among obsessive Bolin fans. Singer Candy Givens refines her Joplinesque delivery on the 1971 Warner Bros. release, but fails to define a sound of her own. Hippy-drippy moments like those on "Miss Libertine" come off as a little naive, and the entire recording lacks a unique vision. When Bolin rips it up on tracks like "See My People Come Together," all the revolutionary cliches become tolerable. Unfortunately, most of this album's material is tired, and Givens' delivery is too derivative. Bolin has his share of shining moments, but they are not quite in keeping with his band's "free love" aesthetic, and ultimately the choice licks are wasted on Going Back to Colorado. Fans of the guitarist should still snatch this record up when they can, if for no other reason than to chart Bolin's musical development. — Vincent Jeffries.